A Briefly Embarrassing Encounter
by Suspicious Popsicle
Summary: Flynn has just moved into a new apartment. It would have been nice if one of the neighbors had warned him about the fire alarm.


A/N: Inspired by an 'imagine your OTP' prompt from a while back. ^^

Thank you to anyone who has taken the time to leave a review on any of my stories. I really appreciate getting feedback, and it always brightens up my day. =)

Disclaimer: The characters in this story are from _Tales of Vesperia_ and do not belong to me.

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By the time the shrill ringing of the fire alarm pierced its way fully into his awareness, Flynn got the sense that it had been going off for some time. It was dark, some time between midnight and dawn, and he was still exhausted from having moved everything he owned on his own the day before. His new apartment was an irregular, brown cityscape of unpacked boxes, and he'd only barely gotten his bed set up before collapsing into it a few hours earlier. It was only a childhood of having the importance of fire safety drilled into him that got him up and moving.

He was out of the apartment before he remembered that he was wearing nothing more than a pair of black boxer-briefs. Groggily, he continued on. He made it to the end of the hall before realizing that he had left his keys behind. That was almost enough to make him turn back, but he could hear his father's voice in his head instructing him to leave the house immediately in case of a fire alarm, that a few seconds could be the difference between escape and being trapped. Pushing open the stairwell door, he hoped that no one would be so callus as to try and loot his apartment during a fire.

Hurrying down the stairs got his blood pumping and woke him up much more effectively than the strident cry of the alarm. Alert now, he noticed that the stairs were strangely empty. There should have been more than just a handful of people wearing pajamas and hastily thrown on coats descending with him. How long had that alarm been going off before he'd woken up? What if he'd just kept on sleeping until his apartment caught fire?

Flynn shook his head. No use worrying about it, now. It was just bad timing that he'd exhausted himself right before a fire in his new complex. It was a good thing he wasn't superstitious, because otherwise all this would have been a very bad sign.

There were more people in the lobby. Most were heading for the front door, but a few were milling around. Having never been in an actual evacuation, Flynn was startled by how many people were being so casual about the threat of their home burning down. He started to turn back to call them to come outside, but the night clerk came out of the office just then and ushered them toward the door.

The cold hit him immediately, locking up his muscles for a split second before he shuddered and broke out in goosebumps. In no time, the icy pavement had numbed his feet, and the dry grass off to the side was little comfort against the cold earth beneath. Most of his neighbors had had the sense to grab a coat or jacket or even stay wrapped up in a blanket. Only a few had been as foolish as himself to venture out into the chilly autumn darkness without extra layers. There were—he counted quickly—three other men in their underpants, though they were all wearing boxers and undershirts, and one girl who might have been in a nightie beneath her blanket. He felt only slightly less self-conscious, but retained a peculiar embarrassment over the cold comfort of knowing that at least he was wearing nice, new boxer-briefs.

All of those who had come outside with too little clothing were mostly ignored. No fellow feeling had other residents offering to share a blanket or inviting outsiders into their circles. Flynn huddled in on himself, arms crossed over his chest, alternately chafing his upper arms and blowing over his freezing fingers. The other residents had mostly gathered in small groups, and Flynn avoided their eyes after too many had revealed more amusement than sympathy.

He was switching his balance from one foot to the other, trying to curl his toes in against his bare calves to keep them just a fraction of a degree warmer, when someone approached him from behind.

"You must be new here."

Flynn spun and came face to face with a young man about his age who wasn't even trying to hide the grin that stretched across his face. At least he wasn't pretending to ignore Flynn while laughing at him, though, and he was just about blocking the breeze that had been tickling maliciously across his skin since he'd made it outside. His long, black hair fell loose over his shoulders, and he was better dressed for the cold than most in a thick sweater, jeans, and boots. Warmth practically radiated from him, or perhaps it was only the absence of cold. Either way, Flynn was glad for something to take his mind off his discomfort.

"I just moved in yesterday."

Satisfied, he nodded. "Thought so. The alarm system in this place is pretty old. No one bothers to tell newcomers to expect this once or twice a month."

"It's a false alarm?" He looked back at the complex, shocked that the owner would be so lax as to not install a proper fire alarm.

"Probably. Maybe not. It went off three times last month: once when some guy lit his kitchen on fire, once when people had been smoking in the hallway, and once to keep us on our toes."

The reminder of his frozen feet sent a fresh wave of shivers down Flynn's spine. To his surprise, his new acquaintance stripped off the bulky sweater he wore over his t-shirt and held it out between them.

"Here. Put this on."

Flynn was only too happy to oblige. The hem stopped at the tops of his thighs, covering him up, if only just barely. His legs and feet were still freezing, but there was a bit of warmth already built up in the sweater, and he hugged it to himself gratefully.

"Thanks." Belatedly, he offered a hand in greeting. "I'm Flynn."

"Yuri." They shook, and Flynn found himself smiling back at Yuri's undimmed grin.

"So, when will they let us back inside?"

Yuri shrugged. Deprived of the warmth of his sweater, he'd crossed his arms tight over his chest. "They'll do a quick run-through just to be sure. Anyone they find still inside will get a very stern letter." He made a face that quickly dissolved back into his laughing grin. "Don't worry. They all want to get back to bed, so they'll be quick about it."

"I think I'll write a letter of my own," Flynn muttered. "This is ridiculous."

That got an actual laugh from Yuri. "You say that like it would help. Don't you think people have been complaining for years? It doesn't do much good. Most of us just ignore the alarm unless we smell smoke."

"Including you?"

"Usually, yeah."

Taking a closer look around at all the residents that had eventually come out of their apartments, Flynn realized that there actually were far fewer than there should have been. By and large, most of the people waiting for the all clear were parents and their children or the elderly, people who wouldn't take the risk of ignoring a faulty alarm.

"This is wrong, though. They're charging us rent, so they're obligated to provide a working fire alarm."

"It _does_ work," Yuri insisted. "If anything, it's a little too eager to do its job."

"You know what I mean."

"Yeah, I do." He sagged for a moment, but perked up just as quickly. "Hey, wanna help me smash the sensors? Then they'd _have_ to replace them."

He couldn't tell if Yuri was joking or not. That should have made him wary, but he was all too ready to side against the apartment management at that point, and smiled crookedly. "I'm not sure that's the best solution to this problem."

"You got any ideas that don't involve writing letters?"

"What if we got all of the residents to protest?"

"I told you already—"

"No, I'm not talking about a few complaints every time this happens. I mean some sort of organized protest."

Yuri remained skeptical. "Like what?"

"Like..." What would get their attention? Money was always a sure bet, but— "What if we convinced everyone who lives here to pay their rent late every month until it's fixed? Say, the day before the late fee applies."

"You really _are_ new around here." Yuri sidled closer and spoke quietly. "Take a good look around you. Does this look like a crowd that always pays on time? Most of these people live paycheck to paycheck. Paying late is pretty much expected."

"What do you propose we do, then?"

"Hey, I already offered a perfectly good idea."

"What you suggested would constitute breaking the law."

"To right a greater wrong."

"And who do you suppose the police would side with?" He stamped his feet, trying to work some sensation back into them.

"Maybe if I demanded a trial, the complex would get the alarms fixed to avoid the bad press."

Flynn stopped fidgeting long enough to fix Yuri with a stare. "You aren't seriously considering this."

Yuri just smiled at him and pointed at the building's superintendent who had come to hold open the door. "Looks like they're letting us back in." He headed immediately toward the waiting warmth and Flynn hurried after him on numb feet.

"Seriously, though, we need to do something." Even as he wondered how it had suddenly become 'we' meaning himself and Yuri, Flynn continued on. "Do you want to come over? Maybe we can figure something out."

One glance at him was enough to set Yuri off laughing.

"What's so funny?"

"We just met, you're wearing nothing but your underwear and my sweater, and you're already asking me up to your apartment." His grin crinkled up his eyes and made them glitter.

"It's not like that!"

Flustered as the suggestion made him, he fell silent as they reached the elevator and the group of people waiting there. His face was burning, and it wasn't just from coming in out of the cold. He hadn't intended anything like what Yuri had implied. They didn't know each other at all. He wasn't even sure if Yuri was his type. Besides, he wasn't looking for anyone at the moment.

Realizing that all his mental fumbling was ridiculous, Flynn followed Yuri onto the elevator. He hadn't meant anything with his teasing, and Flynn tried to put the thought out of his mind as they rode up in the careful quiet of a crowded elevator.

When they both stepped off together, Flynn hesitated, unsure if his invitation had been accepted or if they actually lived on the same floor. Yuri smiled and motioned him on.

"Lead the way. You've got coffee, right? I could use something to warm me up."

He probably should have thought of that sooner. "I haven't finished unpacking my kitchen yet, but it should only take me a few minutes to get everything out."

"Never mind. Too much trouble." Flynn barely had time to feel disappointed before Yuri continued. "Go get dressed and come to my place. I'll get the coffee ready."

"Which apartment?"

"B twenty-two."

"That's just a couple doors down from me." It was a pleasant surprise, and Yuri seemed to agree.

"Yeah? Welcome to the complex, neighbor." They reached his door first, and he waved as he let himself in. "See you in a few."

"Right."

Still tired, but in no mood for sleep, Flynn returned to his own apartment. The windows in his living room looked out over the front of the complex, and he took a quick peek through the blinds. Outside, it was deserted. Everyone had returned to their warm homes and waiting beds. He wondered how many would file complaints and how many didn't even bother anymore. He wondered how often he would be pulled from his sleep for no reason before something was done. Hopefully, he and Yuri could come up with a solution.

Returning to his room, he pulled on yesterday's jeans and dug through a box of clothes to find a turtleneck. He folded Yuri's sweater and grabbed his keys to lock up as he left. In no time at all, he was knocking on the door marked B22. Yuri opened up, greeting him with a wide smile and the tantalizing aroma of hot coffee. He stepped out of the way to let Flynn into an apartment that, furnishings aside, was an exact match for his own.

"How do you take your coffee?"

"Black, please."

He was drawn to the windows as Yuri returned to the kitchen. The blinds had been taken down, and the night peered in at him. Studying the view once more, trying to pinpoint exactly where he had been standing, Flynn smiled as he thought back to Yuri's earlier admission that he usually ignored the alarm. Despite the mild panic that had gripped him over Yuri's misinterpretation of his invitation, he couldn't deny feeling just a little pleased over the thought that maybe Yuri had come out because he'd seen something—some _one_ —that had caught his interest.


End file.
